Above the Noise
by headstrongTM
Summary: It was always the Evans vs. the Sawyers. But now Ryan and Sharpay have to put up with Michael and Alana Sawyer, who will be staying at Lava Springs for the summer. What is it about Alana that catches Ryan's eye? How will Sharpay and Michael react? RyanOC.
1. To Hell and Back

**Chapter One: To Hell and Back**

Ryan Evans walked to his full length mirror lifting up the collar of his black and turquoise polo. He placed a turquoise messenger hat on his head and smiled at his reflection. Then frowning, he noticed a small pink stain on the leg of his white pants. Knowing exactly who the culprit was, he rolled his eyes and stepped out of his room.

"SHARPAY!!"

"WHAT IS IT??"

Ryan grimaced at his sister's "temperamental voice". He's heard it for 18 years but he can never quite get used to it. Stopping in front of Sharpay's closed door he tried to scratch out the pink nail polish out.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my clothes!"

"What are you talking about??" She yelled back.

"There is a STAIN on my white Armani pants!" He retorted.

An awkward silence enveloped until Sharpay finally opened her door. Keeping her eyes locked with Ryan's, she gave him a disgusted look and said a simple, "Ew."

Rolling his eyes again, pointed to the stain. "My pants are not for your manicure needs!"

Sharpay groaned and turned back into her room. "Ryan I have more pressing matters to attend to!"

"Did you not hear me say ARMANI pants?"

Sharpay flipped her hair and put her hand on her hip, her back still turned to Ryan. "Do the names Michael and Alana Sawyer mean anything to you?"

Ryan felt the worry of his pants go out the window and his heart skip a beat. Quickly covering it up, he stepped into her room fully. "They're back?"

She turned to face her brother and growled. "They are not only BACK, but staying at our club for the summer!!"

"Where did you hear that?" He expertly voiced with concern.

"Mother and father! Seems they've made peace with Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer and has decided to let those TWITS stay with us!"

Ryan mirrored his sisters anger. "WHAT?? They can't do that! I mean…Alana and Michael have their own club to stay at!"

"Exactly! This whole thing is preposterous!" Sharpay looked like she was about to have an aneurysm. "…I'm going to talk to Fulton!" Without another word, she stormed out leaving Ryan in her room.

Being able to take off his mask, he could now let everything Sharpay had said register. "Michael and…Alana?" Last time he had seen Alana was a year ago. He hasn't thought of her much but he knew one thing: There was something about Alana that he couldn't quite put his finger on...

He winced as he heard their front door slam. He didn't understand how Sharpay had so much hate in her. But then again, he was just as upset as she was when they lost the District Talent Show to the pair last year.

Images of their amazing performace flashed in his mind. Michael and Alana swiftly moved through the stage as they performed ballroom dancing. They swayed perfectly together…as well as Sharpay and himself. The memory brought back the shock and envy when he relived Michael's and Alana's name being announced as the winners.

He suddenly felt sick and decided to change his pants and get a game of tennis in to relieve his anger.

* * *

"They can't do this to us, Alana! Can you talk to father??" 

"Mike. There's nothing else I can do. We're staying with the Evans. It's either that or we're homeless." Alana watched her twin brother pace back and forth through her room. Reasoning with Michael was not her favorite thing.

"Why aren't you more upset about this? You hate those two…SHOWDOGS as much as I do!" Michael's face lit up with anger. His cheeks were red which stood out from his olive skin.

Alana ran her fingers through her long raven hair and sighed. "We didn't get along…but did you ever realize that it was mostly Sharpay-"

" – DON'T…mention that name to me. Both of them hated us since we beat them in the District Talent Show. I don't know why you're defending them Lana."

"I'm not! I'm just trying to make the best out of a bad situation. If we have to stay with them, we might as well be civil."

"You…" Michael paced around some more as he wagged a finger at his sister. "You…I don't…why – "

"Are you going to complete any of your sentences or keep wagging your finger at me as if I was TJ?" She nodded to their sleeping Pomeranian.

"NOT the point." He sighed and sat on her bed next to her. You're the one mother and father listen to. Why can't you talk to them for me?" Adding insult to injury, Alana softly chuckled. She had never seen her brother more pathetic.

"Because…they are already in Paris. The house is being remodeled tomorrow afternoon. Again…it's either we stay with the Evans…or eat caviar on the street." As she looked into Michael's eyes, her twin senses acted up. A sudden wave of terror filled her as she realized… _Damn…we're staying with the Evans. _Ryan never bothered her. In fact…she had a soft spot for the male diva. Sharpay however…let's just say she wasn't the most hospitable person in Albuquerque. She placed a reassuring hand on top of her brother's.

"As long as we have each other's support…we'll make it through hell and back."

"Yeah..." He sighed and kissed Alana's hand. "You're right. Are all your things packed?"

"Ready to go."

"I guess I better start. Go to sleep Lana." He said as he stood up.

"Good night."

"Night." He switched her lights off. "See you tomorrow bright and early for our trip to hell."

As he closed the door, Alana was left alone in the dark. The moonlight shone brightly on all the trophies her and her brother had won in the past couple of years. One stood out in particular. The one that caused the Evans vs. Sawyer debacle. Just the thought of the Evans raised her temper. A whole summer with the two showdogs? To hell they go indeed.

* * *

**A/N: **What do you guys think? If you guys are intrigued by the story, please review and tell me so! Now I'm not going to write another chapter unless I know it'll go somewhere with the readers so can I have at least 5 reviews? Thank you! 


	2. Reunion

**Chapter 2: Reunion**

"Michael and Alana Sawyer…what a pleasure it is to have you at our club." Fulton greeted the two as they stepped out of Michael's black sports car.

"Good afternoon." Michael took off his aviator glasses and set them on the collar of his shirt. Alana followed next to him and gave Fulton a polite smile.

"You'll be pleased to know that your room is all ready and we did receive the list of requirements from your parents. If you'll follow me…" Fulton led the twins into the country club where Alana could take in her surroundings. _No wonder they're our biggest competitor. _Lava Springs was absolutely beautiful. The red hills and green golf course was a sight to see. And she had to admit…the Spanish life guards were a sight to see as well.

"LANA! Stop lagging!"

"Sorry."

* * *

Sharpay vainly stared at her reflection in the mirror. She hastily smoothed out her perfect outfit for the day and tilted her head to the side curiously. 

"Yes sis…that is YOU in the mirror." Ryan smirked at her reflection as he stood next to her.

"Look, when the Sawyers arrive I am not going to be seen looking less than perfect! Especially to that…Alana." Ryan could see the venom dripping from Alana's name.

"Why especially with Ala- "

" – BECAUSE!" She yelled.

Ryan winced and stuck his finger in his ear, hoping to regain his hearing. "Shar, I think this whole thing is getting you wound up. Why don't you go get a massage?"

Sharpay stared at her brother in disbelief. "A massage? How can I get a massage during this crisis! Do you understand _why _I despise them so?"

Ryan shrugged like a little boy. He thought it was best to speak as little as possible.

"The whole world is coming to an end. First, our drama department gets invaded by basketball players and chemistry nerds. Then last year's talent show didn't go as well as I hoped - "

" – Wait. You said that the Star Dazzle award went to me…" Ryan stated feeling a small pang of hurt.

"Of course it did! But we never performed 'Humuhumu'. The whole show turned into the Wildcat show and that's not OK with me!"

Ryan walked to the couch behind Sharpay and shook his head. He took off his straw fedora hat and mussed his blonde hair. No matter what, his sister was never going to change. If the spotlight wasn't on her, all hell would break loose. And it was usually him who never heard the end of it.

"And then the District Talent Show! Well I'll tell you one thing: Michael and Alana will not know what hit them at this year's talent show. We WILL win the Star Dazzle award." She turned her head sharply so her long blonde hair whipped around her. "I WANT TO EXPAND OUR TROPHY CASE!!"

_Aaaand…there goes my hearing. _Ryan thought. While wondering where that ringing sound was coming from, he saw Sharpay's eye's light up with alarm and before he knew it, he was being pulled to their front door.

"FULTON! Are they here?"

"Yes Ms. Evans. The workers are unpacking their things as we speak. Both Mr. and Ms. Sawyer are exploring the site."

Sharpay scoffed. "Probably wondering what else they can steal from us. Do you know of their exact whereabouts?"

"No but–"

"FIND OUT! Then report to us!" Before Fulton can say another word, Sharpay slammed the door in his face. She stared at the door for another moment before turning to her bewildered brother. She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "It's showtime."

* * *

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were checking out all the workers." Michael said. 

Alana tucked her hair behind her ear and used her hand to shield her olive skin from the harsh sun. "Aw aren't you the protective brother."

"OLDER brother."

"By four minutes." She corrected.

"Still older. You really want to go for a guy who works for the Ice Queen?"

Alana sighed. Her Chanel sunglasses were fogging from the humidity. She took them off and wiped it on her white sundress. "Mike, I don't like them as much as you do. But it's summer…"

Michael stopped in front of two lounge chairs and looked at his sister.

"…everything changes."

He rolled his eyes and signaled for her to sit down. As they did, they watched the members of the club jumping in the pool and sipping their iced tea.

"Is there anything I can get for you, miss?" A good looking young man attended to Alana's right side. His blue eyes sparkled and his smile, as she could tell, melted a thousand hearts before.

"Can I have a seabreeze?"

"Hey Scooby." Michael rudely intervened. "I want something too."

The young man's eyes traveled past Alana to Michael. "I'll have a cherry soda." Still a bit taken aback, the young man forced a smile and nodded his head.

"Alright. Well my name is Troy Bolton if you need anything else."

"Thank you, Troy." She smiled as he walked away. The smile quickly faded as she snapped her attention towards Michael. "WHAT is you're problem??"

"What? He was practically undressing you with his eyes and you expected me to not say anything??"

"Michael you know what? You should never be able to talk to people!"

"Oh is that right? Well next time you might want –"

"–I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. and Ms. Sawyer, but is there a problem?"

Both jumped at the sudden appearance of Mr. Fulton. Michael was the first to speak. "No. Not a problem at all Mr. Fulton. Well actually you wouldn't happen to have a Prozac handy would you? Horse tranquilizers?"

As Fulton's expression turned to confusion, Alana slapped her brother's muscular arm. "I'm sorry Mr. Fulton. He's just kidding."

"OH! Alright, I heard the yelling and grew concerned."

"No need for concern." She reassured. "My brother has quite the temper at times."

Troy reappeared carrying a tray with a seabreeze and a cherry coke. He set them down on the table near them and was pulled aside by Fulton. As hushed words were exchanged, Michael and Alana didn't stop the snide remarks.

"Drama Queen!"

"Pretty Boy!"

In the corner of her eye she saw Fulton take out his cell phone and whisper something but it didn't seem like anything that should alert her.

"Can I get anything else for you?" Troy interrupted.

"A dog leash for my sister here." Michael murmured.

"WE'RE FINE." Alana stated. She smiled up at Troy. "Thank you."

Troy nodded and walked away. As he did, Michael and Alana sipped their drinks and took turns calling each other degrading names.

* * *

"There they are. Look at them…sipping OUR drinks." Sharpay grumbled as she looked across the pool at their two competitors. 

"You don't even like cherry coke." Ryan replied looking at the vision in white.

"It's not the cherry coke!! They think the can just come in here and do whatever they want?"

Ryan turned his head to meet his sister's. "Uh…isn't that what you do at a country club?"

"NOT when you're at a country club you're not welcome at!"

Shaking his head for the umpteenth time, he looked at the twins again. Or Alana anyways. He still didn't know why he couldn't stop staring at her, but he hoped he would find out soon.

"I think it's time to greet our new guests." Sharpay simply stated. She walked as if she were on the runway in her silver heels, short white shorts, and pink halter top. Ryan didn't notice she was leaving until he heard the sharp "RYAN!".

* * *

"This place isn't half bad." Alana stated.

"Whatever."

Groaning, she set down her drink and turned to Michael. "Are you still sore about losing the name-calling war?"

"…You should've at least let me won. You know how I get."

She frowned sympathetically. "I know. I know…it's just…I REALLY DON'T CARE." Too busy laughing, she didn't see the incoming ice cube being chucked at her. Soon enough, the two were laughing and trying to dodge each other's small drink umbrellas.

"_Ahem._"

Both turned to find a leggy blonde and her brother wearing a blinding white polo. It was a good thing Michael and Alana were wearing shades. Seeing Michael's smile quickly wiped off his face, Alana stepped forward and unwillingly shook the girl's hand.

"Hi Sharpay. It's _great _to see you again."

"Isn't it though?" Sharpay smiled forcibly. Dropping Alana's hand quickly she moved past her and stepped forward to Michael.

"Sawyer."

"Evans."

Ryan and Alana watched as their siblings stared at each other. Mouthing a 'WOW', Alana turned to Ryan to greet him. She couldn't help but notice the life guards were definitely not the only good looking guys in the area.

"Ryan. How are you?"

He couldn't seem to find his words for a second, but luckily his expert improv skills stepped up. "I'm good."

"That's nice to know…How's graduating life treating you?"

"…Good…" he nodded. Then mentally slapped himself …_Some improv skills…_

"Okay. That's…good." Alana nodded with him unsurely. _He's gotten quieter since last year. _Definitely a contrast from what she saw whenever he was on stage. Before she could make another sad attempt to start a conversation, she was started again by Fulton.

"Ms. Sawyer, your room is ready. I would alert your brother as well but he seems, eh…" They turned to still see Michael and Sharpay…STILL glaring at each other. "…a tad busy at the moment."

"Yes I'll let him know. Thank you Mr. Fulton." As he walked away she chuckled softly. "Does he usually come out of no where like that?"

Feeling more at ease by hearing the sound of her laugh he laughed along. "Actually he does. But he's learned to announce himself lately." They shared a smile when an idea popped into Ryan's mind.

"Would you like me to drive you to your room?"

"Drive? We can't walk?"

"We could but it'd be a little too far. In this heat it wouldn't be very comfortable. We can take the golf cart." He offered kindly.

Alana smiled and Ryan felt his face get hot. And it wasn't from the heat.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! I appreciate that! Rikki-boy, I am writing for myself, but I like reading reviews. Gives me something to do and it really helps the creative juices start flowing. So in a way they sort of inspire me to write more. Haha. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next one will be on the way! 


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